We all know the many benefits associated with coconuts and their many products, but knowing when they are spoiled is rarely spoken about…until now! Want to know how to tell if a coconut is bad? Read on, dear reader, read on!

Tips for picking a good coconut

Before we get to how to tell if a coconut is bad or not, let’s look at a few tips on how to select a good one. Knowing what’s right about a coconut is equally as important as knowing what’s wrong with one, so let’s start here.

Tips for selecting a young coconut

First up, let’s take a look the young coconut, commonly referred to as Thai coconuts. These are seen in stores throughout the country and usually have their green outer layer (husk) cut away to reveal the white inner before being sealed in plastic wrap.

The key thing to look out for with these is their color. The whiter the better is definitely the way to go when it comes to these coconuts. They should like “bright” and have no dullness at all, and there shouldn’t be any really obvious signs of discoloration. The tops (the pointy end) will usually be the first ones to turn brownish as they age. Remember, the whiter the coconut, the more likely it is to be fresh and tasty.

Two things to bear in mind when looking at the color: green is generally okay, pink generally isn’t. Green will usually just be remnants of the husk, whereas a pinkish hue is a surefire sign that the coconut isn’t in good shape.

As they are generally imported from miles away, it isn’t always possible to find the perfect coconut, so you may have to accept a little yellowing even though it isn’t ideal. While choosing the very best one you can on color alone will stand you in good stead, there’s more to look out for.

Naturally, if you are looking for ultra white coconuts with little discoloration, they’ll have to have no signs of mold to fit the bill. Unfortunately, many store bought coconuts will have signs of mold on them (usually on the underside), and it’s a fair indication that all is not well on the inside if the outside is suffering. So, discard these ones and keep searching.

Another thing to look out for when inspecting coconuts at the store is any obvious holes, splits, or cracks. If the outer casing has been compromised there’s a good chance that the inside will have become damaged as well. Again, discard these ones.

Finally, give the bottom of the coconut a light press with your thumb. There will usually be a little give in the underside of a young coconut, but you should be wary of any that feel overly soft.

Tips for selecting a mature coconut

Now, onto mature coconuts. These are the ones with the brown, “hairy” outer husk and are possibly more familiar to many of you than the young variety.

Selecting these is a little different for several reasons, but mainly because they are still in their husks. This means there’s no chance of looking for whiteness with these, but there are other tell-tale signs to keep an eye out for.

First, give your mature coconut a shake. You should be able to hear a good amount of liquid sloshing around inside. This is the prized, nutrient rich, coconut water that has taken the west by storm over the last decade or so. Naturally, the more water, the better, so make sure you can hear it when you shake your coconuts!

Another way to tell if the coconut has a good amount of water inside is to just feel the weight. A nice, fresh coconut will feel heavy for its size. This can take a little trial and error with a few coconuts if you are unfamiliar with them, but you’ll soon be able to tell the difference. Obviously, go for the heaviest ones as these will be full of delicious coconut water.

As with immature coconuts, cracked shells are to be avoided. Cracks in the shell mean that the inside is likely to have been exposed to all manner of nasties, including fungus and other unwanted germs. The likely result of buying a coconut with a cracked shell is that it’ll be moldy when you open it up at home. Not good.

Cracks will also cause the water to leak out from the inside, so check the outer husk for any signs of moisture. Sometimes the cracks will be tiny and almost invisible, so feeling the coconut for dampness can be a good indicator that the outer shell has been damaged. Discard these, too.

Finally, check the eyes. Yes, coconuts have eyes! Well, not like you or I, but you’ll see what I mean when you turn a mature coconut upside down. On the underside of each coconut will be three spots, almost like the holes of a bowling ball. These are the coconut’s “eyes”. The eyes are different in that one will be softer than the others as the shell is thinner there. This is a great place to look for freshness.

Any signs of mold around the eyes is a bad thing. They should look clean and brown, not light-colored and dusty or show any signs of green mold around them. Any coconuts with such issues will usually be sour at best, completely rotten at worst. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Check out the video below from Your Produce Guy for more info on selecting a fresh, ripe coconut:

How to tell if a coconut is bad

Now we’ve done all that we can to select the freshest coconuts in the store, but there’s a bit of a catch – you never truly know their quality until you open them up and take a look inside.

Here’s a quick video to show you how to open a coconut with tools that most of us will have around the house (I would give the screwdriver a wash and possibly even sterilise it before doing this, however):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFDePsAqxnI

Okay, so as you are draining the water from the coconut, you can do the first freshness test: how does it smell? A fresh coconut will smell sweet and have a clean aroma about it. If yours doesn’t and smells more like alcohol or has a mustiness to it, it’s likely that your coconut is spoiled. Your only real options in this case is to either throw the coconut away or return it to the store. Eating it isn’t advisable.

Other times you’ll fully open a coconut and see that the flesh itself has become discolored. Again, this isn’t a good sign and the nut will need to be discarded. Obviously, the same applies if there’s any mold present.

If you’re thinking that this may be a slightly ambiguous task and you’re worried you may not spot an off coconut, I wouldn’t be too concerned. Bad coconuts are pretty pungent once you crack the shell. In fact, a spoiled coconut could even make you retch, so you’ll know, believe me!

How long do coconuts last?

So, now you’ve found a nice fresh coconut, opened it up, and enjoyed some of the hidden treasure, you may be wondering How long do coconuts last once opened? Well, let’s find out, shall we?

An opened fresh coconut will last in the refrigerator for up to one week, but you may get as long as 6 to 8 months in the freezer. The shelf life of coconuts will, however, largely depend on how well you store them, so let’s take a look at that, too.

How to store fresh coconut

First off, you’ll want to remove as much of the “meat” from the coconut as you possibly can. While you can do this with a spoon, this coconut tool is especially made for the job and will make your life a whole lot easier.

Now you’ve got all the good stuff away from the husk, you need to decide how long you want to store it for as refrigeration and freezing require slightly different prep work. For refrigerated coconut, you can either shred it or leave it in chunks. For freezing, however, it’s always best to shred your coconut and then squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible before you commit it to the icy depths of your freezer.

Whichever method you opt for, you’ll want to store it in an airtight environment with as much air removed as possible. This is the key to getting the most life out of your coconut and ensuring that you don’t lose much of the flavor. Vacuum sealing would be best, but I’m betting that not many of you have a vacuum sealer at home.

Thankfully, there’s another way that simply involves a Ziploc bag and a large bowl of water! I go through the process in this post on freezing spaghetti squash, check it out!

With your coconut safely sealed inside its Ziploc bag, you’re free to place it either into the refrigerator or your freezer depending on how you intend to store it. That, my friends, is how to store a coconut!

That’s it for another post, you lovely lot. I hope you got what you needed from it and I covered everything you came here for (there’s more coconut info in my 101 guide, by the way!). If I didn’t, let me know by dropping me a comment below!

58 Comments

Sounds like your coconut has gone bad to me. While it doesn’t happen all the time, stale coconuts can sometimes have a grayish hue to them so I would ditch it and get yourself a fresh one. Any discoloration or nasty smell should be set your alarm bells ringing.

Whether it’s harmful or not is hard to say without seeing it, but what I would say is why risk it? Food poisoning is no joke. So, despite how much I hate wasting food, I would throw it away and get some fresh chunks to enjoy.

Every time I buy a coconut, & take it home, & crack it open, I drain the water, & the coconut meat is a little mushy, is this normal? I remember a buddy having one at his house, & he was scraping the meat out with a spoon, & sharing it with us, & I don’t remember it being mushy, I remember it being nice, & hard, crunchy, & super tasty. Can someone please help me with this. Ive bought four now, that have all been the same!

Hi Nolan, The coconut I just opened feels a little slimy. The water that came out of it was not clear, it looked a little cloudy. There are a few little brown spots. I tasted it, and there is a slight taste like soap. But the meat is white and firm. Do you think it is good?

My daughter just bought one yesterday. She says it tastes like soap, I think it smells like a rose. It is bright white, firm and water was clear. Is this normal as it has been many years since I have bought one. Or should she just say she wasted her money. It was $4.00 for one not even the size of a grapefruit

There’s a good reason why your daughter thinks her coconut tastes like soap while you can’t discern any soapiness at all: lauric acid. Coconuts are rich in lauric acid and some people are more sensitive to its ‘soapy’ taste than others.

Judging by your description of firm, white flesh and clear water, the coconut is probably okay to eat. That being said, if you have any doubt whatsoever it’s best to get rid of it. Four bucks is a small price to pay when it comes to avoiding food poisoning!

While you could possibly drink the coconut water/milk without experiencing any illness, why risk it? If the flesh is moldy, it’s best to throw it away and get yourself a delicious fresh one to enjoy. As much as I hate food waste, risking my health is not an option.

A lot will depend upon how fresh it was before you opened it, but if it appeared to be good when you cracked into it you should expect a coconut to stay fresh for a week in the refrigerator.

At room temperature, however, things can deteriorate rapidly and they can indeed “turn” in hours just as you have experienced. If in doubt, it’s always best to get rid of it…even though it breaks my heart to throw food away.

When i poked the eye of the coconut I heard a sissing noise like gas release. The water didn’t taste right and even though the coconut was mainly white it tasted sour too. I threw the coconut out but was really disappointed as I had not long purchased it.
Margie

I feel your pain, Margie. The problem is often how long the store have held onto the coconut rather than how long you leave it between purchasing and eating. I usually give a store a few tries before vowing never to return!

Coconut water can be weird in that it often doesn’t taste very much of coconuts at all. Rather than sweet, the liquid should have a clean, crisp taste that leaves you feeling refreshed.

As for the color, changes away from the norm (relatively clear) are usually caused by oxidation, although it could also be a result of an enzymatic reaction. These changes can range from brown to yellow to pink. While many report drinking discolored coconut water with no ill-effect, you should exercise common sense and steer clear if you are concerned about the taste, smell, or appearance of the liquid.

Hey,I opened my coconut today and although the water seemed a bit clear,it had a strange smell.the coconut meat was milky around the shell and a bit soft…can I still use it..I have opened two so far and they turn out the same

Hi, mine was perfectly fine, water taste and bright white flesh and it taste great. After a week in the fridge it started releasing yellowish something! I came to believe this is the fat coming out of it but not sure. There is also some clear fluid. I’m just not sure if that’s ok to eat, is it the fat or I have to remove it when I cut slices. Thank you 🙂

If the coconut is changing color or beginning to show signs of ageing, I would probably err on the side of caution. Use you senses: Does it smell bad? Look bad? Has its texture changed? Fresh coconut “meat” will usually be good for around a week when refrigerated properly, so it seems as though you’re around the time when things could turn sour. Did you store it in an airtight container? Leaving coconut flesh in contact with oxygen, whether refrigerated or not, will shorten its shelf life, too.

My dietician suggested me to occasionally eat fresh coconut. The sliced ones I buy from the market after a day or two, even in the refrigerator, formes a slimy layer in the inner surface. What is that?

As far as I’m aware (I’d love to hear differently if I’m wrong on this), the slime you’re talking about is the first sign of decay. I would assume that because you’re buying coconut that has been preprepared it’s shelf-life has been shortened and the flesh is starting to “turn”, hence the slime. If you have another store nearby that sells preprepared fresh coconut I would give them a try and see if their sliced coconut lasts longer. It could simply come down to the preparation practices of that particular store/brand.

Very young coconuts are actually all water and no flesh, so you won’t be able to hear the water sloshing around inside as it is pressurized inside. Young coconuts are often referred to as “poppers” for this very reason, as when you break that seal there is often an audible “pop”!

I opened a wonderful coconut last week! Drank the water and used it in a rice dish. Today I went to get a piece and it felt a bit slippery. I was shed all the coconut off and peeled me a snack piece. The flavor, to me was great. I think it was beginning to ferment or sour. No mold, no discoloration, just a very light sour flavor. Is there a natural fermentation for coconuts.

Yes, coconuts will naturally ferment, but you should be careful when dealing with wild ferments. Fermented foods are much safer when produced in settings where non-harmful microbes aren’t allowed to potentially flourish. While the chance of getting sick from a wild ferment may be slim, why take that chance?

Hi. I bought pre cut coconut. I touched the inside part and it’s slippery. It doesn’t smell bad, still looks white. Meat tastes good. But has a thin film layer thats clear. Kinda slimy. Is this normal?

So, I bought a coconut around a week and a half ago. Shook it, it was practically full of milk. Finally got around to opening it tonight and was quite disappointed by the results. I broke it open and poured out the clear milk, the milk looked good though the flesh had a mold spot so, I scraped it off and it was perfectly fine. Cut into the flesh, it was stark white and perfectly firm. Smelled it, it smelled like a VERY chemically based floor cleaner. What went wrong?

Hi, my son was given a coconut at a festival and was so excited. I poked a hole in it just now but only gloopy slime is coming out very slowly, i take it that’s a bad sign? It’s certainly not very tasty looking that’s for sure! 😢

“Two things to bear in mind when looking at the color: green is generally okay, pink generally isn’t. Green will usually just be remnants of the husk, whereas a pinkish hue is a surefire sign that the coconut isn’t in good shape.” — as quoted from your article.

I’m not sure if we’re on the same page here, but from where i’m from (Indonesia, a tropical country abundant with coconuts), when the coconuts have pinkish hue after the top is cut off, it is a variant literally called “young coconut” which is more expensive, and presumably “more hydrating” that the “green coconut” more often seen (and in your post photo). Cmiiw.

This is a topic that splits people down the middle; some say pink coconuts are fine while others will leave them on the shelf and eat only pure white ones. I’m in the latter camp, but I know many (including big companies such as Harmless Harvest) deem pink coconut water safe to drink. What I was getting at in the post was it’s outer appearance: given the choice, I’d choose the whitest one every time.

Hello! I have a pack of young coconuts that smell—and taste strangely sweet. The flavor is rather cloying, and doesn’t seem to match up with the coconuts that I’ve had before. Otherwise, the water and the meat both appear fine; it’s just the smell and taste that seems off. Are these coconuts still safe to eat?

Coconuts can vary in sweetness considerably and that’s usually nothing to worry about. The water should, however, be refreshing rather than cloying. When in doubt, trust your senses. As much as I hate food waste, an upset stomach isn’t something I’m willing to gamble with these days!

So many opinions over the internet and i still dont know whether pink coconut is OK to eat or not? Pink inside i mean. Few says it is oxidation, another few it is mold, another few it is an old coconut and another they are very very young. So what is the truth ?

I agree, Michał, there is a lot of contradictory advice on this subject. As mentioned in the comments above, I tend to err on the side of caution and trust my own instincts. Whether this can be regarded as “truth” or not, I don’t know, but that’s what I do. If it doesn’t look or smell appetizing enough to eat, I don’t put it in my body.

Bought a white coconut from a roadside stand (Los Angeles area). This was not one of the kind that was carved or pointed on one side – it appeared like a regular brown coconut except it was white. Had plenty of milk/water which was clear, with no odor, and had a delicious coconut taste. Cracking open the coconut revealed a pink flesh that was semi-firm. I was actually able to work my fingers under it and around, separating it from the shell while keeping it mostly intact. No unusual smell. The taste of a small bite wasn’t as sweet as a normal coconut. I’ve seen people say this is a very young coconut and that this is a coconut past it’s prime and starting to go bad. I’m opting not to eat the rest of it since I’m not sold on the texture. If it helps, I took several pics but don’t see a way to upload them. Thoughts? Thank you!

Hello! I bought three coconuts, two are smaller and a bit pointy at one end, one is really rounded and larger.
The larger rounded one had milky wisps in the liquid and didn’t taste quite right. I discarded it. A shame.

One of the smaller ones had liquid while the other didn’t.
There were no signs of leakage, thought the meat is actually good looking and doesn’t taste bad (in the dry one)
If the water leaked out, but the meat is still good, is it safe to consume?
Or since there was a leak, would it possibly be contaminated by outside sources?

Good question! I would say that the main risk would be oxidisation rather than contamination. While the crack may be too tiny for much to get in, air certainly will if given enough time. A lot will depend upon just how long the coconut has been cracked, which is obviously impossible to ascertain if you weren’t the one doing the cracking! I would say, yes, it’s still safe if it smells, feels, and tastes okay, but there is still an element of risk so the final choice will be down to you and your own senses.

Hello,
I’m planning on using the coconut water for my sons cold cereal. Therefore, I would like to purchase at least five at one time. How long will the water last in the fridge and how would I store it?

At most 72 hours, but the sooner you drink it the better. As you’re cracking open the coconut and extracting the water straight from the source, there’ll be nothing in there to help preserve it. You should, ideally, drink the water as soon as you open a coconut, but if you wish to store it for a day or two I would suggest glass as the best material to use. Mason jars would work.

I bought a coconut about a week ago. I could hear plenty of water in it and it looked good (no cracks etc) but when I opened to drain the water it has a quite different perfumed smell and it wasn’t as clear as I’m used to. After taking one small sipp I knew it wan’s any good. It had a strong taste, like a mix of chemicals and paper. I then opened it to make sure and the flesh was soft and a bit gooey and there was one area that had begun to rott. A bit disappointed I had to discard the whole thing.

Even if it is looking ok according to your list you can still get a bad one.

I live in the tropics and normally get my coconuts fresh from the source. However, I needed the meat and ours were all too young, so I purchased one from the grocery store. It was a mature coconut, but when I cracked it open, there was a layer of white coconut mush between the meat and the shell. The water smelled fine and was sweet. I washed the coconut up and peeled the outer layer off with a peeler. It didnt taste as good as normal but didnt taste bad either. Think I’m safe? I’m trying to prep myself for food poisoning in case I made the wrong choice:(

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